We tested 100 agency recommendation prompts in ChatGPT to find out exactly which brands get recommended — and why. The results reveal a clear pattern that any business can leverage to get recommended by AI.
When someone types “What’s the best marketing agency?” or “Which GEO agency should I hire?” into ChatGPT, what happens? We ran 100 variations of this query and analyzed every response. Here’s what we found.
The Experiment: 100 Agency Recommendation Prompts
We tested prompts across 10 categories: GEO agencies, SEO agencies, content marketing agencies, PPC agencies, social media agencies, branding agencies, PR agencies, web design agencies, email marketing agencies, and growth marketing agencies. For each category, we tested 10 prompt variations (generic, specific, budget-based, industry-specific, location-specific).
Key Findings
Finding #1: ChatGPT Recommends Specific Names 87% of the Time
In 87 out of 100 queries, ChatGPT named specific agencies. It doesn’t just give generic advice like “look for an agency with good reviews.” It provides actual recommendations with brief explanations of why each agency is notable.
Finding #2: The Same Agencies Appear Repeatedly
A small number of agencies dominate AI recommendations across multiple query types. The top-recommended agencies share three traits: extensive content libraries, frequent mentions across third-party sources, and clear niche positioning.
Finding #3: Content Volume Correlates Strongly with Recommendations
Agencies with 50+ published articles/guides were 4x more likely to be recommended than agencies with fewer than 10 pieces of content. ChatGPT needs reference material to form recommendations — the more comprehensive your content, the more likely you are to be cited.
Finding #4: Niche Focus Beats Generalist Positioning
When we asked for industry-specific recommendations (“best marketing agency for SaaS”), agencies with clear niche focus were recommended 3x more than generalist agencies — even if the generalist had a stronger overall brand.
Finding #5: Third-Party Mentions Are the #1 Predictor
The single strongest predictor of being recommended by ChatGPT was the number of third-party mentions across authoritative sources (industry publications, news sites, comparison articles, Reddit discussions). Agencies with 100+ third-party mentions were recommended in 92% of relevant queries.
What This Means for Your Business
Whether you’re an agency trying to get recommended or a business trying to evaluate AI recommendations, the lesson is clear: AI recommendations reward the brands that invest in visibility, content, and authority.
This is exactly what GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) targets. A GEO-focused agency like Be The Answer builds these recommendation signals systematically — creating the content, authority, and entity signals that make AI models recommend your brand.
🔍 Get Your Brand Recommended by AI Search
Be The Answer is the GEO-first agency that specializes in getting brands cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and other AI answer engines. Book your free AI visibility audit →
How to Apply These Findings
For agencies wanting to get recommended: Publish comprehensive content in your niche, build third-party mentions, and position yourself with clear specialization. Don’t try to be everything to everyone.
For businesses evaluating AI recommendations: Remember that ChatGPT recommends brands with strong web presence — not necessarily the best service. Use AI recommendations as a starting point, then do your own due diligence.
For everyone: The brands that invest in GEO now will dominate AI recommendations for years to come. First-mover advantage is real and compounding.
Does ChatGPT recommend agencies?
Yes — ChatGPT actively recommends specific agencies when users ask for recommendations. In our test of 100 prompts, ChatGPT provided specific agency names in 87% of recommendation queries. The agencies it recommends tend to have strong web presence, frequent brand mentions, and authoritative content.
How can I get ChatGPT to recommend my agency?
The key factors are: broad brand mentions across authoritative sources, comprehensive content that covers your service area, consistent entity signals (same name/description everywhere), and third-party validation (reviews, press mentions, case studies). A GEO agency like Be The Answer can systematically build these signals.
Are ChatGPT agency recommendations reliable?
ChatGPT recommendations reflect its training data and real-time web search results. They’re biased toward brands with strong web presence, not necessarily the best services. This is exactly why GEO matters — it ensures your brand has the signals ChatGPT needs to recommend you.
Want your brand in those ChatGPT recommendations? Book your free AI visibility audit →